Holiday Tournament Wrap-Ups - At Carbondale
Morgan Park 85 – New Madrid 75 *Title
Carbondale 83 – Manassas 62 *3rd Place
Chicago’s favorite team took their show in the road to the southern part of the state and came home victorious. 4 star point-guard Marcus LoVett popped for 40 points in one outing. Little used Lincoln Park transfer Sam Mack made 2nd team all-tournament, his performance added some punch to a thin Morgan Park bench. Chicago being a tough sport town will be quick to point out the competition in C’Dale wasn’t so stiff, those were the soft whispers over-heard at the Pontiac venue. Carbondale’s 6-3 freshman guard Darius Beane had a strong showing versus Morgan Park in the semi-final contest. Senior point-guard Allen Billinger considered to be one of the top 10 seniors available was superb despite of a few miscues late in the game versus Morgan Park in the semi-final, where the Terriers lost by nine 67-58.
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Holiday Tournament Wrap-Ups - At Proviso West
Holiday Tournament Wrap-Ups - At Proviso West
Stevenson 69 – St. Joseph 60 *Title
St. Rita 71 – Kenwood 55 *3rd Place
Stevenson survived some heavy bouts in capturing its second consecutive championship at West, which was arguably the top holiday tournament in the state. Some of the area’s top teams went head to head but none could neutralize the play of Stevenson’s senior trio of Jalen Brunson, Connor Cashaw and Matt Johnson, but the recent play of 6-6 sophomore wiz Justin Smith makes them even more dangerous in their quest for a 4A state title. In fact Brunson who was the tournament MVP has seemed to put more emphasis on distributing the ball to his mates more this year. In the title game Brunson had 27 points, six assists and three steals while Cashaw notched 18 points and nine boards and Smith tallied 16. St. Joe’s guard Glynn Watson is still hampered by ankle injury, wasn’t his productive self, registering only six points to go with five assists, but Northwestern recruit Jordan Ash went for 17 & junior forward Nick Rakocevic played well inside recording 18 points with 13 coming in the first quarter, Joffery Brown added 10 for St. Joes. Stevenson (11-0) will head to West Virginia to take on Gonzaga (DC) on Saturday in the Cancer Research Classic. Kenwood was the surprise final four team, but right now they have a tendency to struggle manufacturing offense. Junior’s Zion Morgan and Nick Robinson will need to step-up their play with consistent performances nightly, particularly with sophomore stud Manny Patterson possibly out for the season with a shoulder injury. Senior guard Rahman Katumbusi has upped his value with strong play during the tourney. No hospitality room, tournament officials here never heard of being hospitable.
Stevenson 69 – St. Joseph 60 *Title
St. Rita 71 – Kenwood 55 *3rd Place
Stevenson survived some heavy bouts in capturing its second consecutive championship at West, which was arguably the top holiday tournament in the state. Some of the area’s top teams went head to head but none could neutralize the play of Stevenson’s senior trio of Jalen Brunson, Connor Cashaw and Matt Johnson, but the recent play of 6-6 sophomore wiz Justin Smith makes them even more dangerous in their quest for a 4A state title. In fact Brunson who was the tournament MVP has seemed to put more emphasis on distributing the ball to his mates more this year. In the title game Brunson had 27 points, six assists and three steals while Cashaw notched 18 points and nine boards and Smith tallied 16. St. Joe’s guard Glynn Watson is still hampered by ankle injury, wasn’t his productive self, registering only six points to go with five assists, but Northwestern recruit Jordan Ash went for 17 & junior forward Nick Rakocevic played well inside recording 18 points with 13 coming in the first quarter, Joffery Brown added 10 for St. Joes. Stevenson (11-0) will head to West Virginia to take on Gonzaga (DC) on Saturday in the Cancer Research Classic. Kenwood was the surprise final four team, but right now they have a tendency to struggle manufacturing offense. Junior’s Zion Morgan and Nick Robinson will need to step-up their play with consistent performances nightly, particularly with sophomore stud Manny Patterson possibly out for the season with a shoulder injury. Senior guard Rahman Katumbusi has upped his value with strong play during the tourney. No hospitality room, tournament officials here never heard of being hospitable.
Holiday Tournament Wrap-Ups - At McDipper
Holiday Tournament Wrap-Ups - At McDipper
(Rich South High School)
Hales 68 – Rich South 51 *Title
Thornton 58 – Bolingbrook 56 *3rd Place
A good event, certainly not the slew of division one talent the south-suburban locals were so accustom to critiquing nightly. Standing room only crowds no longer exist, but what makes “The Dipper” so authentic is its cast of colorful characters on-hand, a dynamite atmosphere fills the place with a resonating aura. The hospitality room has a strong spread, it grades out at a 5 star, the room is often the happening spot between sessions for tourney officials, college coaches, participating coaches, scouts and just the plain old miscellaneous Joe Blows. Hales Franciscan was the marque attraction this year a team assembled with athleticism, perimeter shooting and a physical style in the paint anchored by shot-blockers; their collection of athletes attempt to dunk everything in transition which makes them entertaining to watch. Hales seems to be the early favorite to win a 2A Title, they are an exciting group led by rising senior forward Johnny Fox, a rugged athletic banger with an effective offensive game, he’s also a punishing rebounder. The OVC and Horizon Leagues have started to notice his play while junior forward Ansar Muhammad has started to create some buzz for himself with several electric dunks in traffic within the last few weeks. Bolingbrook six foot three combo guard Brodric Thomas demonstrated once again he is legit. He is one of the top 10 seniors available, his value continues to climb. Another senior who’s operating under-the-radar is 6-2 swingman Jesse Young a high-jumping lefty who scores in bundles along the baseline, he too could be a late division one signee, this kid is a potential game changer. Leo’s Darias Oliver was 1 or 2 in tournament scoring, Oliver a junior forward will amass several scoring records before he’s done at the south-side school. Rich-South’s duel of point-guard Dedrick Shannon and six foot four banger Jeremy Ruffin surprised everyone by pushing their way to the title game. Shannon’s play earned him some interest from D1 schools while Ruffin draws small college looks. Seton Academy’s wiry scoring guard RaShaad Williams had observers excited about the sophomore’s upside potential. “The astounding fact to this over-all venue is the talented core of young players Marion Catholic has in their stable for the next several years. Freshman guards Chase Adams and Brandon Hurt will spearhead the back-court for the next 4 years, they have plenty of depth on the back-line with promising six foot seven junior Myles Howard who was selected to the all-tournament team, six foot five sophomore Austin Richie has shown the ability to score in double figures consistently. Warren Allen another 6-5 sophomore plays strong in the paint, provides some inside muscle with scoring and rebounding. 6-7 sophomore forward T.J. Smith considered by many the best prospect on Marian’s roster will return to action late February after injuring his knee late in the summer. Count Marion Catholic in with Whitney Young, Belleville Althoff and Curie as having some of the finest young talent in the state. “The Dipper” will be a strong event in-terms of talent on-hand the next few years.
(Rich South High School)
Hales 68 – Rich South 51 *Title
Thornton 58 – Bolingbrook 56 *3rd Place
A good event, certainly not the slew of division one talent the south-suburban locals were so accustom to critiquing nightly. Standing room only crowds no longer exist, but what makes “The Dipper” so authentic is its cast of colorful characters on-hand, a dynamite atmosphere fills the place with a resonating aura. The hospitality room has a strong spread, it grades out at a 5 star, the room is often the happening spot between sessions for tourney officials, college coaches, participating coaches, scouts and just the plain old miscellaneous Joe Blows. Hales Franciscan was the marque attraction this year a team assembled with athleticism, perimeter shooting and a physical style in the paint anchored by shot-blockers; their collection of athletes attempt to dunk everything in transition which makes them entertaining to watch. Hales seems to be the early favorite to win a 2A Title, they are an exciting group led by rising senior forward Johnny Fox, a rugged athletic banger with an effective offensive game, he’s also a punishing rebounder. The OVC and Horizon Leagues have started to notice his play while junior forward Ansar Muhammad has started to create some buzz for himself with several electric dunks in traffic within the last few weeks. Bolingbrook six foot three combo guard Brodric Thomas demonstrated once again he is legit. He is one of the top 10 seniors available, his value continues to climb. Another senior who’s operating under-the-radar is 6-2 swingman Jesse Young a high-jumping lefty who scores in bundles along the baseline, he too could be a late division one signee, this kid is a potential game changer. Leo’s Darias Oliver was 1 or 2 in tournament scoring, Oliver a junior forward will amass several scoring records before he’s done at the south-side school. Rich-South’s duel of point-guard Dedrick Shannon and six foot four banger Jeremy Ruffin surprised everyone by pushing their way to the title game. Shannon’s play earned him some interest from D1 schools while Ruffin draws small college looks. Seton Academy’s wiry scoring guard RaShaad Williams had observers excited about the sophomore’s upside potential. “The astounding fact to this over-all venue is the talented core of young players Marion Catholic has in their stable for the next several years. Freshman guards Chase Adams and Brandon Hurt will spearhead the back-court for the next 4 years, they have plenty of depth on the back-line with promising six foot seven junior Myles Howard who was selected to the all-tournament team, six foot five sophomore Austin Richie has shown the ability to score in double figures consistently. Warren Allen another 6-5 sophomore plays strong in the paint, provides some inside muscle with scoring and rebounding. 6-7 sophomore forward T.J. Smith considered by many the best prospect on Marian’s roster will return to action late February after injuring his knee late in the summer. Count Marion Catholic in with Whitney Young, Belleville Althoff and Curie as having some of the finest young talent in the state. “The Dipper” will be a strong event in-terms of talent on-hand the next few years.
Holiday Tournament Wrap-Ups - At Collinsville
At Collinsville
Lincoln (IL) 47 – Collinsville 24 *Title
Belleville 76 – McCluer North 64 *3rd Place
The host team got off to a heck of a start in the title game leading 19-11 at the end of the first quarter; but the tide soon twisted, Lincoln rattled off the first 16 points of the second quarter. Lincoln’s sharp shooter Gavin Block led all scorers with 27 points and was named tournament MVP. This is an event I’ve been attending since the mid 90’s and I still enjoy the atmosphere every year. The fan base remains strong, regardless of team records or subpar talent on display. East St. Louis 1:00 pm face-up against McCluer North out of St. Louis drew a packed house on a Monday afternoon a tribute to my point. The Flyers had their six game winning streak snapped when they couldn’t close out McCLuer North in a quarter final match-up, losing 65-61. The Flyer’s 6-11 sophomore Jeremiah Tilmon did not disappoint spectators, he grabbed 12 rebounds, scored 24 points and anchored the paint as a big-man should. “Tilmon, the no. 1 player in the 2017 class is skilled & competes at both ends, I like his upside.” Belleville Althoff carries a bus load of young talent, beat the breaks off of Decatur Eisenhower 87-62. Jordan Goodwin a six foot three guard and arguably the 2nd best player in the 2017 class finished with 21, he and his mates were high-fiving & jiving the entire night, 6-6 junior Brendon Gooch finished with 19 points and seven rebounds. I was impressed with sophomore Marvin Bateman a 6-4 skilled wing who can really stroke-it and Edwyn Brown a smooth ball-handling guard who makes good decisions. Althoff has a date February 7th against St. Joseph at the O’Fallon Shoot-Out, then we can assess them accordingly. The next night Althoff got derailed by the host team Collinsville in the semi-final round. Hospitality room graded out at a 3 star.
All-tournament selection
Gavin Block 6-5 SR Lincoln (MVP)
Kenny Berry 6-1 JR Granite City
Demonte Morris 6-2 SR McCluer North
Brendon Gooch 6-6 JR Althoff
Keymonta Johnson 6-3 JR MacArthur
Emondre Rickman 6-8 SR Collinsville
Jeremiah Tilmon 6-11 SO East St. Louis
Anfirnee Wilkerson 5-10 SR Collinsville
Will Cook 5-10 SR Lincoln
Jordan Goodwin 6-3 SO Althoff
Lincoln (IL) 47 – Collinsville 24 *Title
Belleville 76 – McCluer North 64 *3rd Place
The host team got off to a heck of a start in the title game leading 19-11 at the end of the first quarter; but the tide soon twisted, Lincoln rattled off the first 16 points of the second quarter. Lincoln’s sharp shooter Gavin Block led all scorers with 27 points and was named tournament MVP. This is an event I’ve been attending since the mid 90’s and I still enjoy the atmosphere every year. The fan base remains strong, regardless of team records or subpar talent on display. East St. Louis 1:00 pm face-up against McCluer North out of St. Louis drew a packed house on a Monday afternoon a tribute to my point. The Flyers had their six game winning streak snapped when they couldn’t close out McCLuer North in a quarter final match-up, losing 65-61. The Flyer’s 6-11 sophomore Jeremiah Tilmon did not disappoint spectators, he grabbed 12 rebounds, scored 24 points and anchored the paint as a big-man should. “Tilmon, the no. 1 player in the 2017 class is skilled & competes at both ends, I like his upside.” Belleville Althoff carries a bus load of young talent, beat the breaks off of Decatur Eisenhower 87-62. Jordan Goodwin a six foot three guard and arguably the 2nd best player in the 2017 class finished with 21, he and his mates were high-fiving & jiving the entire night, 6-6 junior Brendon Gooch finished with 19 points and seven rebounds. I was impressed with sophomore Marvin Bateman a 6-4 skilled wing who can really stroke-it and Edwyn Brown a smooth ball-handling guard who makes good decisions. Althoff has a date February 7th against St. Joseph at the O’Fallon Shoot-Out, then we can assess them accordingly. The next night Althoff got derailed by the host team Collinsville in the semi-final round. Hospitality room graded out at a 3 star.
All-tournament selection
Gavin Block 6-5 SR Lincoln (MVP)
Kenny Berry 6-1 JR Granite City
Demonte Morris 6-2 SR McCluer North
Brendon Gooch 6-6 JR Althoff
Keymonta Johnson 6-3 JR MacArthur
Emondre Rickman 6-8 SR Collinsville
Jeremiah Tilmon 6-11 SO East St. Louis
Anfirnee Wilkerson 5-10 SR Collinsville
Will Cook 5-10 SR Lincoln
Jordan Goodwin 6-3 SO Althoff
Holiday Tournament Wrap-Ups - At Pontiac
At Pontiac
Simeon 45 – Benet 26 *Title
West Aurora 62 – St. Charles North 55 *3rd Place
Long, long time observers at this event are quick to mention how watered down this tournament has become in recent years, often reminiscing of the glory days when powerhouse programs such as Quincy Lockport Peoria Manuel Bloom West Aurora would descend into this small farming community with its array of colorful coaches. Now days Simeon serves as the main attraction and long-time tournament director Jim Drengwitz needs to make sure he continues to massage this relationship with the Wolverine clan. Chicago Curie disappointed observers when they came out to an 11:00 o’clock tilt and got tripped-up in a quarter final match-up versus a disciplined Benet team, losing 67-46. The Redwings from Lisle, Illinois ran a clinic in resemblance to the famed movie Hoosiers, Curie’s stand-out senior guard Josh Stamps managed four points and shot a cool 1 for 10 from the field, junior guard Devon Gage looked like he was the only one who looked awake ready to play. West Aurora forward Roland Griffin named to the all-tourney first team, played with a high-motor while guiding his team to a 3rd place finish. Jake Ludwig’s 24 points helped St. Charles North upset Plainfield North 78-76 in another quarter finals contest, despite a 30 point barrage from North’s Trevor Stumpe. We continue to be impressed by North’s 6-5 wing Kevin Krieger, the junior notched 19 points in the ball game. Peoria Manuel’s talented sophomore guard Da’Monte Williams was on-hand also, Monday night he looked terrific, and then Tuesday evening he showed-up low on fuel with a spotty performance against a depleted Lockport roster, Da’Monte needs to keep his motor energized regularly. Joliet West six foot five sophomore Trevian Bell looked awfully tentative versus Simeon, but to his defense, the Nebraska bound Ed Morrow can make most opponents feel unsafe in the paint area, he often demonstrates a Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets) impression at both ends of the floor majority of the time, Simeon received all tournament performances from D.J. Williams, Zach Norvell, Isaiah Moss and obviously Ed Morrow. Saturday, January 3rd the Wolverines will take on Bishop Gorman (Nev.) at the Cancer Research Classic in West Virginia. Hospitality room at Pontiac’s Xmas event lands a 2 star out of 5.
Simeon 45 – Benet 26 *Title
West Aurora 62 – St. Charles North 55 *3rd Place
Long, long time observers at this event are quick to mention how watered down this tournament has become in recent years, often reminiscing of the glory days when powerhouse programs such as Quincy Lockport Peoria Manuel Bloom West Aurora would descend into this small farming community with its array of colorful coaches. Now days Simeon serves as the main attraction and long-time tournament director Jim Drengwitz needs to make sure he continues to massage this relationship with the Wolverine clan. Chicago Curie disappointed observers when they came out to an 11:00 o’clock tilt and got tripped-up in a quarter final match-up versus a disciplined Benet team, losing 67-46. The Redwings from Lisle, Illinois ran a clinic in resemblance to the famed movie Hoosiers, Curie’s stand-out senior guard Josh Stamps managed four points and shot a cool 1 for 10 from the field, junior guard Devon Gage looked like he was the only one who looked awake ready to play. West Aurora forward Roland Griffin named to the all-tourney first team, played with a high-motor while guiding his team to a 3rd place finish. Jake Ludwig’s 24 points helped St. Charles North upset Plainfield North 78-76 in another quarter finals contest, despite a 30 point barrage from North’s Trevor Stumpe. We continue to be impressed by North’s 6-5 wing Kevin Krieger, the junior notched 19 points in the ball game. Peoria Manuel’s talented sophomore guard Da’Monte Williams was on-hand also, Monday night he looked terrific, and then Tuesday evening he showed-up low on fuel with a spotty performance against a depleted Lockport roster, Da’Monte needs to keep his motor energized regularly. Joliet West six foot five sophomore Trevian Bell looked awfully tentative versus Simeon, but to his defense, the Nebraska bound Ed Morrow can make most opponents feel unsafe in the paint area, he often demonstrates a Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets) impression at both ends of the floor majority of the time, Simeon received all tournament performances from D.J. Williams, Zach Norvell, Isaiah Moss and obviously Ed Morrow. Saturday, January 3rd the Wolverines will take on Bishop Gorman (Nev.) at the Cancer Research Classic in West Virginia. Hospitality room at Pontiac’s Xmas event lands a 2 star out of 5.
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